Drug crisis in Peißenberg: Bottlenecks threaten patient care!

Drug crisis in Peißenberg: Bottlenecks threaten patient care!

The current situation in German pharmacies and among doctors is tense because there are massive bottlenecks in the availability of important medications. The owner of the St. Ulrich Pharmacy in Peißenberg, Dr. Philipp Kircher, points out the difficulties that many patients are experiencing these days. Vital medications such as the asthma drug salbutamol and antibiotics against Lyme disease are particularly affected. These medications are currently not available throughout Germany, which leads to considerable uncertainty among those affected.

However, there was a small ray of hope when the Kirchers pharmacy received a small delivery of salbutamol from the USA. “However, this is only a short-term solution,” he warns. Many pharmacies are being forced to get creative and resort to alternatives to meet their patients' most urgent needs. “We’re not talking about harmless cough syrups, but about vital medicines,” explains the pharmacist.

Main causes of the bottlenecks

The reasons for the current problems are complex. A central factor is the dependence on only a few production locations, especially in China, where around 90 percent of the drugs for the German market are produced. Kircher also criticizes the extreme price pressure from health insurance companies and politicians, which is forcing manufacturers to lower their prices. “Sometimes there are discounts of up to 99 percent, which increasingly shifts production to China,” he warns.

The situation becomes worse when unforeseen problems arise in Chinese production, for example due to a fire or transport delays. “If there are bottlenecks there, there will be nothing left here,” says Kircher. There is hardly any drug production in Germany anymore. Well-known companies such as Hexal or Ratiopharm are only responsible for the packaging. Many active ingredients are produced exclusively in the Far East.

Another significant problem is the decision of some companies to no longer offer their products on the German market. “If a manufacturer here only receives five cents per medication, he would prefer to sell the product in countries where health insurance companies offer higher prices,” explains Kircher. This leads to a worrying situation that has become increasingly serious over the last few years.

Political reactions and insights

Kircher sharply criticizes the political reactions to the bottlenecks. He considers the Health Minister's statements that delivery bottlenecks have been halved to be unrealistic. "That's not true! Millions of patients experience the opposite every day," explains Kircher, showing the discrepancy between political communication and the reality in pharmacies.

Kircher would like to see more recognition for the work of pharmacists and calls for a political initiative to resolve the problems. He points out that the last fully integrated antibiotic production in the Western world is in Austria - an example that Berlin could certainly use as a model. “It is high time that we bring production back to Europe and break away from our dependence on China,” demands Kircher.

Overall, the current situation shows how important it is that both pharmacists and the political community work together to secure and improve the supply of medication in Germany before the situation takes on even more serious proportions. Patients in Peißenberg and elsewhere urgently need reliable supply chains and access to the medications they need in order not to endanger their health.

A full report on this critical situation can be found on www.merkur.de.